Ashley Barahona from Galileo School of Gifted and Talented Education is the winner of the city of Victorville’s 11th Annual Civil Rights Memorial Essay Contest.
The 5th-grade student penned an essay on civil rights leader Ella Baker, which is highlighted by a bronze plaque at the Civil Rights Memorial near Victorville City Hall.
Barahona’s plaque, with a portion of the essay, was unveiled on Jan. 19, during the 18th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Peace March and hosted by the High Desert Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
This is the 11th year the city has hosted its Civil Rights Memorial Essay Contest to celebrate those who have contributed to advancing the civil rights of all people.
Days before the plaque unveiling, Mayor Liz Becerra visited Barahona’s class, led by teacher Heather Hubbell, to celebrate the winning essay with a pizza party courtesy of the city, school officials said.
Ella Baker
According to the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Ella Jo Baker was born on Dec. 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. Growing up in North Carolina, she developed a sense for social justice early on, due in part to her grandmother’s stories about life under slavery.
Baker studied at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a student, she challenged school policies that she thought were unfair. After graduating in 1927 as class valedictorian, she moved to New York City and began joining social activist organizations.
She would later play a key role in some of the most influential organizations of the time, including the NAACP, Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Baker continued to be a respected and influential leader in the fight for human and civil rights until her death at age 83, on Dec. 13, 1986.
Barahona’s inspiration
In her essay, Barahona said she was inspired by Baker because she “worked very hard for Black women and their communities so they can have all their needs and the same services and supplies like everybody else.”
Barahona’s essay also highlights Baker’s work to make male-dominated companies more gender inclusive and her work with Dr. King to stop racism.
To read Ashley’s essay, click here.
For more information or to become a sponsor of future Civil Rights Memorial plaques, call 760-955-3306 or visit VictorvilleCA.gov/civilrightsmemorial.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville student wins annual Civil Rights Memorial Essay Contest
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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